J. Ricardo Arias-Gonzalez received both his Master Degree in Theoretical Physics in 1997 and his Ph.D. in 2002 from Complutense University in Madrid. During his Ph.D. research in the Materials Science Insti- tute (ICMM-CSIC), Madrid, and short stays in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, Gaithersburg, MD), EMBL-Heidelberg and École Centrale Paris, he developed theory and simulations to understand the electromagnetic field in nanoparticles. Then, he moved to U.C. Berkeley for his postdoc- toral training, where he studied DNA with single molecule approaches. In 2006, he joined the National Centre of Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, where he developed a state-of-the-art optical tweezers and a subsequent experimental environment for single-molecule Biophysics. Since 2008, he has been working in IMDEA Nanoscience, leading of the Optical Nanomanipulation Lab.

Research Lines

Dr. Arias-Gonzalez is working in the field of Molecular Biophysics, furthering the study of the macro- molecules that make up the machinery of cells. He also investigates biocompatible nano-systems from the point of view of both Mesoscopic Physics and Biological Chemistry. He uses theory and experiments based on the optical manipulation of single specimens. His team is currently involved in the understand- ing of structural transitions of nucleic acids, including non-canonical conformations, molecular motors related to information processing and functional nanoparticles that may be used in Nanomedicine. He is also interested in the development of biophysical techniques for these research purposes.